Racing Victoria has announced several changes to the handicapping system for the new season, including moves to ensure a minimum five-kilogram spread in the weights for all races.
The amendments mean the minimum weights for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups will be raised from 50 to 51kg, with the minimum topweight raised from 58kg to 59kg. Indeed, all Group 1 handicap races will have a 59kg minimum topweight.
The changes come after consultation with both the Australian Trainers’ Association and the Victorian Jockeys’ Association.
In its release on Monday, RV said: “From the start of the new season, in order to provide alignment, the minimum topweight for all Group 1 handicap races will now also be set at 59kg, with the minimum topweight at acceptance time remaining unchanged at 57kg.
“However, should the weights need to be raised, the minimum allotted weight of 52kg and a 5kg weight spread will be maintained.
“This differs from the previous conditions for Group 1 handicap races, which had determined that any increase at acceptance time was uniform at both the top and bottom of the weight scale.”
Other G1 handicaps run in Victoria are the Oakleigh Plate (1100m), Newmarket Handicap (1200m), Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) and Toorak Handicap (1600m).
RV announced that the conditions for G2 and two-year-old handicap races will remain with a minimum topweight of 59kg, a minimum topweight of 58kg at acceptance time and a minimum allotted weight of 53kg for G2 races and 54kg for two-year-old races.
All other handicap races, from G3 down to Benchmark 52 grade, will have a minimum topweight of 60kg and a minimum weight of 54kg when handicaps are declared, with a minimum topweight of 59kg at acceptance time.
These amendments will allow for a consistent 5kg weight spread across all races at acceptance time for TAB day meetings, which represents a 1kg increase on the current system.
The table below summarises the new weight policy for all professional handicap races run in Victoria from the start of the 2025-26 season.
WHAT THIS MEANS
The thrust of the changes to the handicapping conditions are to ensure a minimum five-kilogram spread of weights in G1 handicaps and all other handicaps alike.
Normally, these things take care of themselves at acceptance time, but there needed to be a rule in place to ensure the spread never gets below 5kg as a protection mechanism as such for the minimum-weighted horses.
This scenario reared its head just last year with the G1 Toorak Handicap at Caulfield in October.
Pride Of Jenni had been entered and, given her record, was given a hefty weight. But when she did not accept for the race, it left a spread of just 3.5kg between Desert Lightning (57kg) at the top and the bunch on the minimum weight of 53.5kg.
As for the changes to the major Cups, the minimum topweight is now 57kg, meaning there will be no repeat of last year when Kalapour led the field out for the Caulfield Cup with topweight of just 55kg after a series of withdrawals from higher-weighted horses.